Bongzilla

Resident DTLA Presents

Bongzilla

Bongzilla with Kadabra and Forest Lawn at Resident

Thu August 31 8:00 pm

Resident DTLA 428 South Hewitt Street - Los Angeles, CA 90013

Sales Ended

This event is 21+

Bongzilla with Kadabra and Forest Lawn at Resident

Bongzilla formed sometime in 1995 in Wisconsin, quickly composing a host of songs inspired by their marijuana. Very little is known about the early years of the band except for their appearances on a host of split and EP releases between 1996 and 1999, the first being Mixed Bag on Rhetoric Records in 1996. Following a split with MeatJack another 7" EP entitled Hemp For Victory (Named after the vintage educational/propaganda film of the same name) was released on Thunder Lizard. Two more splits followed the same year and eventually Bongzilla was signed to Relapse Records.

The first release on this label was Methods for Attaining Extreme Altitudes released on CD on 27 January 1998. The band at this point made yearly appearances at the Milwaukee Metalfest, notably 1999 and 2000. The band's debut studio album Stash saw it's release on 20 April 1999 to positive reviews. A split with Corrupted, Noothgrush and Dystopia entitled Twin Threat To Your Sanity followed.

The band's second album saw release via Howling Bull America (With a reissue three years later via Relapse). Apogee was released on 11 May 2001 and showcased three new songs along with live recordings from 1998. A compilation of all of the band's EPs and splits to that point entitled Shake: The Singles saw release the next year. The band's third album Gateway saw release via Relapse on 3 September 2002.

Bongzilla would begin 2003 as part of the Relapse Contamination Festival, with their performance being released as a live album the next year. The band sporadically played shows and tours, with notable appearances at various festivals.

A lineup change prompted one Dixie Dave Collins to join the band as their bassist, leading them to record the band's fourth album. Amerijuanican was released via Relapse on 27 September 2005 to positive reviews and featured a cover of "Champagne and Reefer" by Muddy Waters. The band toured and remained active until 2009 when the group quietly took a hiatus, their last known show being Forward Fest alongside the likes of Bob Mould, Detroit Cobras and Neko Case to name a few.

In April 2015 it was announced Bongzilla was reforming with the Gateway lineup, first announcing a tour of Europe including dates at Heavy Days in Doomtown and Temples Festival along with a single date in NYC. The band followed up with a four-date tour of the West Coast USA, a tour of the east coast USA and an appearance at Desertfest Belgium.

Bongzilla began 2017 with a local show in Wisconsin before embarking on another European tour, playing the likes of Roadburn Festival, DesertFest Berlin, DesertFest London, KrisionFest (Their first ever appearance in Spain) and have begun working on material for a new album. Bongzilla have also set course for a 2018 European tour with Dopethrone and Sons of Otis. Bongzilla would tour and perform several festivals in 2018 and 2019. In late 2018 Totem Cat Records would release a 14 song compilation of the Bongzilla early split / live material under the album name Thank You Marijuana. In early 2020, Bongzilla started their own label called Gungeon Records and released a re-issue of their classic album Apogee. However, in March of 2020 it would be announced that Cooter Brown would retire from the band due to health and family reasons, with Bongzilla choosing to continue as a thunderous three-piece. During Bongzilla's first tour as a thunderous three in March of 2020, the tour was cut short due to a the coronavirus pandemic. A few months into the pandemic, Bongzilla began rehearsing and recording for several different record projects - A limited Wake Brewing 7 inch, a full length album titled Weedsconsin, an LP split with the band Tons, and a 7 Inch Split with Boris, the first of a 7 inch Split Series released on Gungeon Records. All projects were recorded at Future Apple Tree Studios in Rockford, Illinois in October of 2020 by the legendary John Hopkins before his sudden and unexpected passing in the late fall of 2020. Bongzilla announced signing to the Italian label - Heavy Psych Sounds on Janurary 21st of 2021. Bongzilla is preparing for the release of their new full length album Weedsconsin, as well as a limited 7 Inch from Wake Brewing, followed by the Bongzilla / Tons Split for the HPS series - Doom Sessions, as well as the 7 inch split with Boris that will come out on Gungeon Records. All releases are scheduled to drop in 2021.

Website

------------------------------

Kadabra

In 2020, a year wrecked with cultural dissent and a global pandemic, fellow musicians and long-time friends Garrett Zanol and Ian Nelson decided to create a band that would pull influence from a few of their favorite musical acts. After retaining the talents of their favorite local drummer Chase Howard, the group got to work on writing an album that illustrates their current climate.

Kadabra from Spokane, Washington U.S., delivers the eerie psyche crawl of acts like Dead Meadow and the heavy fuzzed riff grime of Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. In the Fall of 2020, they tracked their debut album "Ultra" with Dawson Scholz and released it in the Fall of 2021 on Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

Linktree

------------------------------

Forest Lawn

Forest Lawn can be found blowing eardrums in LA’s underground metal scene with their unique style of Heavy Dungeon Metal. No pedals needed; Brett Hanson plugs his guitar straight into a snake-skin Soldano, delivering dark, groovy riffs with an evil tone. On drums, Joe Herzog (Deathchant) mixes jazz elements into his hard- hitting, heavy shuffle style, while bassist Jeff Stephens releases his tormented vocals into the microphone. Formed in 2019, Forest Lawn draws their musical inspiration from bands like Celtic Frost, Slayer, and High on Fire. In 2022, they released their first self-titled LP, featuring dark fantasy artwork from 70s Heavy Metal magazine artist Tom Barber. This album can be found on their Spotify and Bandcamp pages. They are currently in the midst of writing their second album and plan to start recording late this year.

Instagram | Spotify

21+

Resident

428 S Hewitt St

Los Angeles, CA